


Past the burning match.

by charliepower



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: (last three characters are only mentioned), Caitlin Snow appreciation, F/M, Gen, M/M, Started as, Woops, and just ended up as, i guess but i kind of like it, killerwave, snart lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-21 20:03:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7401931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliepower/pseuds/charliepower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caitlin considers what she really needs after the two extremes of Ronnie and Jay, she needs someone who is neither good nor evil and starts to realise that maybe Mick Rory could fill that spot.</p>
<p>Mick has never been able to find fascination in anything as much as he did fire and thought it would always be that way, but he could be wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Past the burning match.

**Author's Note:**

> I literally just had a burst of inspiration and sat down for an hour to write this (shame on me when I have a few WIPs I should've been working on!)

Caitlin Snow had seen a lot of shit in her life, she'd been through a lot to. It had killed her when she lost Ronnie the first time, he had sacrificed himself to try and save others and she felt so many conflicting emotions that she felt like she wanted to start screaming and never stop, she was angry at him for leaving her, she knew it was selfish but she felt like he put others before what they had and so she was angry at herself for feeling that way. She was also incredibly proud of him for being so selfless, for being the man she fell in love with. 

When she finally got him back again only for him to leave her she questioned if it was because she wasn't good enough. 

But then he did come back and he'd become her husband and she could finally breathe again. She should have known her luck couldn't last and he'd died again and she felt something inside of her tear apart. Ronnie had been, would always be, the love of her life and with him gone Caitlin knew that she would never be herself again. She had a firm belief in women not relying on a man making them whole but it wasn't about her needing a strong man to build her up, it was the fact that Ronnie had been her other half, she never felt inferior to him and he constantly praised every way that placed her above him. He was her best friend and no one could ever fill that void. 

When they found Jax she tried to feel no resentment towards him but it was impossible to avoid that nagging feeling at the back of her mind that told her he was replacing Ronnie. She became angry at everyone, even Martin who needed Jax to survive, who had survived when her husband hadn't, because she felt like they were so easily brushing Ronnie to the side. She knew it was foolish but she couldn't help it. 

Meeting Jay was her salvation. He couldn't replace her Ronnie but he understood loss. He could, even for the briefest of moments, make her forget the tragedies of her past. The way he held her close and kissed her softly suddenly had her feeling like a teenager again with the way they would flirt so openly yet become so embarrassed whenever it was commented on. 

Watching him die had been what she thought was the final straw. She felt herself go cold as her screams died out. Cisco's jokes no longer amused her and Barry's constant optimism annoyed her. She felt herself pushing away her friends and she didn't care, if anything she wanted them to leave, felt that she needed the punishment because surely this was her fault? There must be something wrong with _her_ for all of these terrible things to be happening. 

She had been wrong when she thought watching Jay die was the worst outcome. What was worse was realising that she had been fooled again. Finding out that he was Zoom, that he was a serial killer known as Hunter Zolomon. She almost laughed as she felt the last remaining bit of hope leave her body.  

Her first love had been the purest person she had ever had the pleasure of meeting and there wasn't a bad bone in his body. The second had pretended to be that only for her to find out that he was a sadist demon. Him being in love with her was worse than him only pretending to. 

She knew she needed someone different from both men to move on in her life. A man who never pushed her buttons would remind her too much of Ronnie and a man who was too unkind … well Caitlin wasn't about to put herself through any more pain. She needed someone who made her angry at times but also made her feel as special as she deserved, she needed someone who was good but without it being in every fibre of their being. 

When Rip Hunter's team – the _Legends_ – returned they came straight to STAR labs. It hadn't been as much of a surprise because Cisco had vibed their return, not that they had known about their departure, a few days earlier. They knew the team would need her medical assistance and she was willing to give it. 

She knew their stories would be incredible but she didn't realise just how much, she suspected they would grow close but this was a family. She saw it in the way they fussed over Snart as Rory bridal carried him over to the medical bed. Caitlin didn't know what had happened, all she was told was that Captain Cold had _died_ to save his team, had put his life second to those on his team. She was told they refused to accept it and had nearly ended the world – twice – to get him back and she felt her heart clench because she knew she'd do the same for those she loved. 

Caitlin had never had a bone in her body that cared for the two Rogues after what they'd done to her and those she cared about, but after being told what they'd both done to save people who wouldn't even know about it, she knew that they were heroes and should be treated as such. 

Caitlin noticed the way Barry hovered around the room Snart was in, he stood far away enough that no one was suspicious, but close enough that Caitlin picked up on it. How could she not? If love in her life was fated to be destroyed of course she was going to pay more attention to that of the boys. Caitlin knew she was a wallflower and she always had been. She resented that sometimes but at times like this she let it consume her entire body and she appreciated the fact that she could see these feelings claw out of the dark in other people. She watched the way the two flirted when Snart finally woke up in the middle of the night while everyone else was sleeping. Both danced around expressing actual concern for each other and it made Caitlin smile and her heart ache because maybe they could have what she had been denied. She didn't know when, or how, but she did know that these two would eventually figure things out. And Caitlin was never wrong when it involved other people. 

When everyone else woke the next day the first thing they did was walk to check on Leonard, only to find him (still) in conversation with Barry. No one commented on it because this time they didn't need to tease for the two to understand what was going on. Mick pulled the man into a rough hug, shocking Leonard, before stepping back and punching him in the face for _being so bloody stupid_. Caitlin snapped at him to be careful and Mick just snorted but helped Leonard back onto the bed. Slowly the other members of the team began to embrace him after waiting for him to give them permission, understanding of his problem with being touched. Even Stein, who at first went for a handshake, embraced the man and had to blink away tears from his eyes. 

Leonard started to grow frustrated with the way his team would act like he was about to break and Caitlin understood that. Everyone on the team seemed scared that Snart might disappear one moment – everyone but Mick. Mick who would still growl back his responses, Mick who would shout at Leonard for being stupid every few minutes. But he wasn't just being aggressive towards the man, he would still get his drink for him without asking, he would still tell people to _watch it_ if they accidentally knocked past Leonard. He was being the perfect mix of caring and rough.  

Caitlin understoods Leonards growing frustration because she too was being treated like a porcelain doll. Since Jay died … since Hunter and finding out about her Earth-2 counterpart both Barry and Cisco, hell even Harry even if he wouldn't admit it, were acting as though she would collapse at any minute. The first time Mick yelled at her to stop being _such a frigid bitch_ when she told him to put out his lighter when in the cortex the three of them froze, they were about to yell at the man but Caitlin just laughed, feeling a bit of the tension in her relax as someone finally stopped treating her like china. 

Caitlin started to deliberately start spats between her and the pyromaniac, enjoying the way he was the only one to challenge her. Leonard was the first one to notice but he didn't say anything at that moment and only looked on with interest. Caitlin wasn't sure whether he mentioned it or not, but the next day Caitlin noticed that Mick would deliberately light a match in front of her, or stare at her with a challenge in his eyes when she _demanded_ to treat his burns. Although she couldn't be certain whether or not that was just who he was. 

Mick Rory was a criminal but he was also a hero. If Caitlin had to put him somewhere it would probably be in the box of 'Chaotic Neutral'. He was neither good like her Ronnie, nor evil like Jay, no, Hunter had been. Instead he took a steady balance in the middle. Sometimes he controlled the fire using it to his advantage to get himself out of a situation, but sometimes, Caitlin could see from the scars covering both his arms, he would lose control and let his passion overtake him. He was at neither end of the scale.  

Caitlin realised that it was a man like Mick that she would need in her life. Someone like him would treat her like a queen all while proving that they were also worthy of a high title. Someone like him would put her first when they slept together, while at the same time would be doing so for their own selfish wants. Someone like Mick would risk his life to save the world, only be too stubborn to let it end him. His whole being was a juxtaposition and Caitlin _craved_ it. She knew a man like Mick wouldn't remind her of either of the men in her past. 

 

As Mick looked across the room, past the burning match in his hand, he stared at Caitlin with a controlled flame in his eyes and she realised that it was him she needed. 

 

 

 

Mick had known Len for a long ass time, too long to even bother suggesting the idea that Len would be _allowed_ to stay dead. Mick had told the man that when they died it would either be together or not at all, and Mick would be damned if Len died for him, they didn't do sappy shit like that. 

Of course Mick hadn't realised how hard it would be to stop someone from dying because he'd tuned out when Rip had decided to explain. Rip still let them try though so Mick knew that he wanted the same thing, and that he would have to punch the Time Master in the face. After nearly destroying the world twice they finally saved his closest friend … his brother. Mick had never felt more relief and he would forever deny that a single tear fell down his face as Len stumbled into his arms, passing out. 

He wasn't as surprised as he should've been when Kendra suggested they go to STAR labs to treat Len. Rip tried to argue that the waverider had better technology but they all knew Len would better appreciate being home after something so big, if not for his sister then to wind up that stupid kid. Besides, he was alive all he needed was a quick check. 

The punch he delivered was as much for him as it was for Len, both knew that each needed it. They didn't do feelings and the hug had been too much too soon. 

Within a few hours of being there Mick began to notice the way the Doctor's friends seemed to tip toe around her, he noticed because his team were doing the same thing to Len. She started to seem restless with the way her friends refused to disagree with her on anything, the way they would overpraise her for the smallest things.  

They didn't see what Mick saw though, he saw the flame in her, he saw the way it was desperate to blaze out of her. He knew he'd seen it when they kidnapped her and tied her to the bomb, the defiance in her eyes, the angry fire that Mick saw every time that he looked into the mirror. 

So when she told him to put away his lighter when in the cortex he scoffed and told her to stop being _such a frigid bitch._ Mick knew that the comment was a bit too far, Mick was many things but derogatory wasn’t one of them, but he also knew she needed it. He could tell from the way her friends froze that they couldn't see that, but when she laughed Mick knew for certain that he was right. 

Snow started to tell him off for more and more things, for grunting at someone because that was _unnecessarily_ _rude,_ or for hitting Lens back because _he died you insensitive idiot._ Len noticed, the Doctor could clearly tell that he did, but she didn't realise that Mick did as well. So he started to push her buttons as well, it was clear she was desperate for the resistance, desperate to find an outlet for all that passion burning inside of her. He started to light a match the minute she looked at him, he would light one even if she was across the room, knowing that she would see and snap at him to _put it out._ When she asked to treat his burns his laughed and refused, daring her to argue otherwise. And she did, he saw the glint in her eyes the second he said no to her and he felt his chest tighten as he could almost picture the fire raging around her very being. 

Mick had always found it hard to connect with people. They thought him too much, even Len had to take a break every once in a while and they'd seen each other at their worst. Most people hated the way Mick would lose control, and Mick would hate the way they tried to put out that part of him. Mick also wasn't stupid, he knew he couldn't have someone like him, he knew it would be apocalyptic for him to end up with someone who lost control as much as he did, someone who let their passions consume them. But Mick would be damned if he ended up with someone who tried to extinguish his flame. 

Caitlin was the first person Mick had ever met to enjoy his slight loss of control, to enjoy watching the way he would control it yet never fully lock it away. He noticed that even though she enjoyed and let him entertain it, she could also control it. She wouldn't shut it away however and would simply govern it. No fire in the cortex, but it _was_ allowed in the fire proofed room used for training firestorm. His burns had to be treated as soon as they were made but she didn't try to stop him from making them. 

Mick found out what the woman had been through from various members of his team, through Len who had heard from Barry Allen – The Flash. She had been through so much and had come out stronger, in the same way Mick came out from the fire that had nearly killed him. She had lost countless people in her life and yet she still wasn't afraid to let anyone in and still clearly loved those around her. She had been betrayed but some of those closest to her, Eobard Thawne who she had known as Harrison Wells and Zoom who she had known as Jay Garrick and yet she still trusted both him and Len, never watching them in the way Ramon watched them, as if scared that they would suddenly turn on him despite what they had been through. Mick couldn't blame him really. 

Mick had never felt strongly towards anything other than a burning flame. Len had been close but both men knew which Mick would always pick, he would idealy like to choose his friend but he knew if it came to it he wouldn't be able to pull himself away. 

But Mick found himself able to look away from the burning match in his hands for the first time in forever, just to look at the woman across the room. 

 

Caitlin Snow stared back at him with the same fire in her eyes that his matches held and he realised that with her around, he didn't even need a flame. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this started off as Caitlin Snow appreciation, but as I wrote it I realised that after having someone so good, and someone so evil in her life that maybe someone in the middle would be good for her. Then alas, this killerwave fanfic was born.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Feel free to kudos/bookmark/comment ^_^


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